The Savvy Newcomer aims to serve newcomers to the translation and interpreting professions by publishing high-quality, peer-reviewed content on a weekly basis. We strive to provide you with the answers to the many questions you face as a new or aspiring translator or interpreter.
Many language professionals start out doing their work “on the side” of whatever else they are doing in life. When people find out you are bilingual, you may be asked to do some volunteer interpreting to help out a friend, family member, or someone in need, or you may agree or be expected to do the occasional translation—and maybe even get paid for it. Volunteering and doing small side jobs are great ways to gain experience and improve your skills as a translator or interpreter. But in order to be a professional—whether you plan on doing this work part-time or…
Read More11 tips for new freelance translators on the hunt for their first assignments
By Nicole Y. Adams Reblogged from NYA Communications blog with permission from the author (including the image) A while ago a new colleague on a translators’ forum asked for advice on how to secure those all-important first assignments and set up shop as a freelance translator. I think we’ve all been there when we started out and know how frustrating it can be to…
Read MoreOur “Mother Tongue”: Keeping it Fresh in a Foreign Land
By Helen Eby Estemed friends, It seems to make much time that I don’t write to you.—Ramón, in “Ramón Writes,” an Argentine column published by the Buenos Aires Herald every two weeks, as a humorous take on Argentine Spanglish. Ramón had trouble saying such simple things as “It’s been a long time since I’ve written to you.” Today, we laugh…
Read MoreHow do translators showcase their talent to translation agencies?
By Gwenydd Jones Reblogged from The Translator’s Studio blog with permission from the author (including the image) Last week, Letraduct authored a post about one of the problems that your target customer (the translation agency) has, which is lack of time and desire to read lengthy cover letters, CVs and translation portfolios. The advice was clear: be a translator that makes…
Read MoreAdventures with Direct Clients—Part One
By David Friedman I have always wanted to work with direct clients, since the early stages of my translation career. I would like to tell you the story of what has so far been my most exciting direct client adventure, to show that these kinds of things actually happen in the real world if you play your cards right. You…
Read MoreReading the small print
By Jo Rourke Reblogged from Silver Tongue Translations blog with permission from the author (including the images) I’m not entirely sure what happened. I’m usually pretty pernickety on details so I don’t know how it all got past me. Nevertheless, I am now the proud owner of an almost entirely redundant freephone business number, along with a phone and internet bill which will, over…
Read MoreThe ATA Mentoring Program through the eyes of a mentor-mentee pair
With the deadline to apply for the ATA Mentoring Program for 2015 fast approaching this week—March 7, to be more precise—we thought this would be a great opportunity to showcase this hidden gem available to ATA members. But instead of providing a scholarly piece singing the wonders of this program, we found a mentor-mentee pair who was willing to share…
Read MoreThe Ins and Outs of Term Validation
By Patricia Brenes Reblogged from In My Own Terms with permission from the author (including the images) Every step in term processing during the preparation of glossaries or updating of termbases is important, but probably the one that will save you the most time is term validation. How and when it’s done is key to achieve cost-effective/efficient validation. What is term validation?…
Read MoreUniversitat Pompeu Fabra: A Day in the Life
By Carmen Salomón Hernández I finished my high school degree, including the International Baccalaureate Diploma in 2011 and decided to study Translation and Interpreting (T&I) because I love languages and reading, and through Latin and Greek, I learned to love translation itself. The lessons consisted mostly of epics and poetry texts. These two subjects taught me to be patient and…
Read MoreDo you know your ideal customer? Creating a customer avatar for your freelance translation business
By Tess Whitty Reblogged from Marketing Tips for Translators with permission from the author (including the image) The other week I interviewed Alessandra Martelli on creating a marketing personas or customer avatars, and I wanted to write a bit more about it here, since it is very important to know as much as possible about your ideal client. When you think about…
Read MoreGo National or Stay Local?
by Giovanna Lester in collaboration with The Savvy Newcomer Team Full disclosure: I am one of the co-founders and currently the president of the Association of Translators and Interpreters of Florida (ATIF), an ATA Chapter. I am also a teacher, a mother and a grandmother. I am starting to see a pattern… Joining a professional organization is an investment in…
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